


One Big, Happy Family

by QueenOfNewOrleans22



Category: The Lost Boys (Movies)
Genre: Adoption, Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Blood and Injury, Bullying, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Coming Out, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Drug Use, Fluff, Gay Panic, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mentions of Cancer, Minor Violence, Native American/First Nations Legends & Lore, POV Alternating, Past Abuse, Past Domestic Violence, Post-Divorce, Racism, Romance, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Discovery, Self-Hatred, Sexual Content, Slurs, Step-siblings, Teen Angst, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27387949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenOfNewOrleans22/pseuds/QueenOfNewOrleans22
Summary: Lucy is a single mother of two boys, while Max is a single father of four boys.Despite their own hardships, they find solace in each other, and begin to start a tentative romance, but when you add in - a crazy grandpa, a beautiful girlfriend, two neglected brothers, two dogs and a strange child with nosy parents, then they've got a recipe for sweet disaster.
Relationships: Lucy Emerson/Max, Michael Emerson/Star (Lost Boys), Sam Emerson/Edgar Frog
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	One Big, Happy Family

Michael knew that it was to be expected that his mother would start dating. 

After all, Lucy was a woman who craved affection, love, and dependency, which made it a fantastic feat that she'd made it so long without a boyfriend. Perhaps the divorce had scarred her more than Michael had thought, a rather unpleasant idea that made him grit his teeth so hard that it made his jaw ache. 

Realistically, Michael knew that he should he happy for his mother, but the thought of her dating somebody made him nervous. 

"He's a very nice man." Lucy said as she carefully applied a very thin layer of lipstick. She rarely indulged in wearing makeup, so Michael knew that she was serious about this guy. 

As he stood in the threshold of the doorway, Michael remembered a night from years upon years ago, from back when he was a little kid, watching as his mother got ready for date night with his dad shortly after Sam's birth. Back then, they'd been happy, loving, excited for what would come, unknowing as to the nightmare that would unfold. 

"I'm sure he is, mom." Michael sighed, stuffing his hands inside of the pockets of his jacket. He didn't feel good about the date, but after a few days of trying to persuade his mom otherwise on the matter, Michael hadn't been able to convince her that the date was a bad idea. 

In Michael's opinion, it was too soon for his mom to be dating - it'd only been a year! But it wasn't his choice. 

Lucy examined herself in the mirror. "I know that you don't like this, sweetheart." 

If not for how serious the discussion was, Michael would've laughed at the severe understatement. Instead, he just bit back a smirk. "D'you think, mom?" He said, regretting how harsh his response sounded as soon as it fell into the air with stumbling kegs. 

For a moment, Lucy's face creased as she winced. "I just want to be happy, honey." She said in her perpetually soft voice, having lost wherever will to argue she might've once had after years of torrential marriage. "Max makes me happy."

Michael frowned. "This is your first date." He pointed out. 

"Yes." Lucy conceded, putting the lipstick in her purse before zipping it shut. She was wearing one of her floral print dresses and thick sweaters that aged her several years. Despite this, Lucy was a beautiful woman with eyes that shined with her innate kindness. "But he's just so - oh, I don't know how to put it." She walked down the stairs, careful to hold onto the railing since she was wearing heels. 

Downstairs was still a mess, with books laying on the wooden flooring and stuffing from the pillows laying around like fluffy snow. Earlier that day, the dog had chased a squirrel inside and tried his best to find the damn thing, but the squirrel had managed to escape out an open window and the dog was left to bark restlessly, unbothered by the mess. 

Much to his credit, Sam was trying his best to clean up. "Wow, mom." He said, looking quite impressed as he leaned on the broom like an old man with a walking stick. "You look great." 

Michael knew what his younger brother was trying to convey - their mother usually wore frumpy shirts and long skirts, broken down by years of verbal assaults. But now, she looked like a woman who had regained at least some of her confidence. 

Shaking his head, Michael turned and went to go back upstairs, resigning himself to the fact that he was spending way to much time around his mother. 

"Wait, Michael!" Lucy suddenly called out, scrambling to round the corner and grab her son before he had a chance to go. "Your Grandfather is going out with that nice widow down the road, which means your in charge." She said. 

"Okay." Michael nodded, looking over his mother's shoulder at Sam, who was making faces that were oddly reminiscent of the taxidermy animals that their grandfather had a penchant for making. 

Sam curled his fingers, peeling his lips back into an imitation of a snarl, widening his eyes so that he looked like an old-time movie villain. 

Forcing back a laugh, Michael looked back at his mother. 

"We're going to be at Valentino's, and I left the phone number for it on the fridge alongside with the fire department number." Lucy was obviously panicking, if only by a little bit. "I should be home by midnight, no later. Oh! And Max's number is up there too, okay?" She looked at Michael like she was expecting him to play dumb and pretend not to understand. 

But as much as Michael hated the idea of his mother dating, he did want to see her truly, completely happy again. 

"Yeah." Michael forced himself to smile. "Okay, mom." He accepted a tight hug and then watched as his mom moved away and embraced Sam, who, far from nervous, actually looked happy for his mom. 

Michael didn't like how much resentment he felt at that fact. 

"Thank you, honey." Lucy said, smiling at Michael before turning back to Sam. "Be good, and listen to your brother." She instructed in her 'stern' voice, which mainly just sounded like she was pretending to be mad. 

Sam nodded. "I will, mom. Don't worry about me." He said. 

It wasn't much of a stretch, truth be told. After all, the most concerning things that Sam ever did was hang out with his weird friends, so Lucy didn't have much to be worried about when it came to her younger son. 

But with Michael - 

"We'll be fine, mom." Michael assured his mother. 

From the other side of the living room, a loud noise sounded, and then two sliding doors that had been placed near the front door were pushed open with a loud groaning noise and Grandpa Emerson, the local freak, appeared. He had a rather skeptical look on his face, and was wearing a old, dusty suit that seemed to have come from the dark ages, or whatever time came before that. 

Grandpa motioned to himself. "Are you sure this is right for me, Lucy?" He asked in a tone of great doubt.

The complete opposite, Lucy clasped her hands underneath her chin and walked toward him. "Oh, you look great, dad." She pulled him into a hug, taking great care to avoid pulling on her father's ponytail. 

Michael couldn't help but notice how both the adults were moving on with their lives. His grandfather was going on regular 'dates' with the Widow Johnson, who was a formidable but gentle woman who lived down the road, right near the woods. His mother, meanwhile, was going on her first date in a long while, and there should've been happiness, but Michael couldn't help but be filled with anxiety over it. 

Lucy pulled away and glanced at the clock. "Oh, boy, I gotta get going." She said, grabbing her purse and giving each of her boys one last firm hug. To anybody else, it might've seemed like Lucy was preparing herself to return to an empty house, but to the two boys, it was just another hug by their protective mother. 

Sometimes, it got annoying, but other times, it was nice to have an actual parent around, instead of some guy who spent all of his time at work with his mistress. 

They watched as Lucy left, closing the door firmly behind her, as if sealing her own fate. 

Grandpa started playing with his tie. "Alright." He cleared his throat. "I'm going to go now. Be good." He ducked back inside of his work room, and emerged back outside with a stuffed duck. It was far from the most terrifying animal that he'd ever made into an eternally perched creature, but Sam still shivered at the sight. 

Their grandfather left, and the sound of 'la cucaracha' faded alongside his car as it disappeared into the distance. 

It wasn't an uncommon event for them to be left home alone, but something felt different. Michael immediately turned around and went to disappear upstairs so he could have some alone time, but just like their mother had done just a few moments previous, Sam scrambled to keep him downstairs. 

Maybe Sam didn't want to be left alone downstairs, considering how isolated they were, and how dark it was. 

Or maybe he was just intent on being an annoying little brother. 

"I am _not_ going to stay down here all night with you." Michael said, pulling away from his brother's grip. "You're not exactly a kid anymore, Sammy." 

Okay, that may have been a lie - Sam was thirteen years old. But Michael was being left alone way before that! Unfortunately for everybody involved, Sam had been sheltered much more than Michael had, and fear was a terrible thing, really. 

Fear convinced you of shapes in that darkness, and shadows in the corners. It made whispers of danger appear from thin air, and long-fingered hands creep out from closed doors. 

It also made Michael quite irritated, because he had better things to do than this. 

A small part of Michael wanted to take off and leave Sam alone, just to be an ass, but then he remembered his mom, and how disappointed she would be when the phone call came and she would have to come running home, just because neither of her sons could give her one night to herself - to laugh, to smile, to relax. 

"Fine." Michael grumbled, trudging off and laying down on the worn couch. He kicked his feet up on the arm and pulled out his phone. 

Sam came up and peered over the back of the couch. "Mom says that it's unsanitary to have your dirty shoes up there." He said. 

Scoffing, Michael opened up his messenger. "Well, mom isn't here right now, is she?" 

_9:35 PM_

 _MikeY-_ _My brother is driving me crazy. Send help._

_9:36 PM_

_StarLight- I'm sorry. U should've taken my offer._

"Are you texting your girlfriend?" Sam asked, leaning over the couch so he could catch sight of the phone. He normally wasn't so annoying, but apparently, the lack of any adults in the house was making him feel safe. 

Not for long. 

Michael lunged and went to grab his arm, but Sam jumped out of the way just in time, fast enough that Michael's fingers barely managed to catch hold of Sam's tye-dye shirt before his brother took off. 

"I'm gonna make somethin' to eat." Sam yelled over his shoulder as he disappeared into the kitten. "Are you hungry?" Like nothing had even happened, or, rather, like nothing had even fazed Sam, he was now rustling through the pantry. 

"Nah." Michael replied. 

_9:38 PM_

 _MikeY-_ _What are U doin right now?_

_StarLight- Studying._

_9:39 PM_

_MikeY- Thats the most stereotypical answer ever._

_StarLight- shut up._

Thinking back to his mom, Michael supposed that maybe her dating wasn't such a bad thing. 

Or, rather, he hoped. 

"So, what do you know about this guy that mom's dating?" Michael yelled, hoping that maybe Sam's weird little friends had taught him about the inhabitants of this tiny, humid town. 

Sam appeared in the threshold, spreading peanut butter onto a slice of bread, looking contemplative. "Well, he obviously owns that movie place that mom works at. His name is Max Powers, and he's got no criminal record. He's lived in Santa Carla for the last ten years, and his wife died five years ago after a battle with cancer." He said. 

Michael shrugged to himself. That didn't seem so bad, at least he didn't have any convictions for assault or something like that. 

"Oh!" Sam, who had disappeared back into the kitchen, suddenly reappeared. "He has four sons." He whirled his butter knife in the air. 

" _What?!"_ Michael sat straight up. 


End file.
